1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices that facilitate online purchases on a digital or multimedia device. The invention herein relates more specifically to devices and systems which facilitate the purchase of an article seen by the purchaser on a running video on a digital multimedia device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The following twelve patents are relevant to the field of the present invention:
1. United States Published Patent Application No. 2003/0005463 to Douglas B. Macrae et al. on Jan. 2, 2003 for “Access To Internet Data Through A Television System” (hereafter the “Macrae Published Patent Application”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,408 issued to David H. Kaiser et al. on Sep. 2, 2003 for “Method, System, And Apparatus For Providing Action Selections To An Image Referencing A Product In A Video Production” (hereafter the “Kaiser Patent”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 6,765,557 issued to Jack A. Segal et al. on Jul. 20, 2004 for “Remote Control Having Touch Pad To Screen Mapping” (hereafter the “Segal Patent”);
4. United States Published Patent Application No. 2006/0089843 to David Flather on Apr. 27, 2006 for “Programmable, Interactive Task Oriented Hotspot, Image Map, or Layer Hyperlinks Within a Multimedia Program and Interactive Product, Purchase or Information Page Within a Media Player, with Capabilities to Purchase Products Right out of Media Programs And/or Media Players” (hereafter the “Flather Published Patent Application”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 7,076,792 issued to Daniel J. Zigmond et al. on Jul. 11, 2006 for “Document Data Structure And Method For Integrating Broadcast Television With Web Pages” (hereafter the “'792 Zigmond Patent”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 7,139,970 issued to Jeffrey H. Michaud et al. on Nov. 21, 2006 for “Assigning A Hot Spot In An Electronic Network” (hereafter the “Michaud Patent”);
7. United States Published Patent Application No. 2007/0005795 to Ruben Gonzalez on Jan. 4, 2007 for “Object Oriented Video System” (hereafter the “Gonzalez Published Patent Application”);
8. U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,367 issued to V. Michael Bove, Jr. et al. on Jul. 24, 2007 for “Method and Apparatus For Switching Between Multiple Programs By Interacting With A Hyperlinked Television Broadcast” (hereafter the “Bove Patent”);
9. U.S. Pat. No. 7,827,577 issued to Bok Hyun Pack et al. on Nov. 2, 2010 for “Apparatus and Method For Providing And Obtaining Product Information Through A Broadcast Signal” (hereafter the “Pack Patent”);
10. U.S. Pat. No. 7,849,226 issued to Daniel J. Zigmond et al. on Dec. 7, 2010 for “Television with Set Top Internet Terminal with User Interface Wherein Auxiliary Content Is Received That Is Associated with Current Television Programming” (hereafter the “'226 Zigmond Patent”);
11. PCT Application No. WO 01/37109 issued to Ivan Hwang on May 25, 2001 for “System and Method for Implementing On-Site Electronic Purchasing Using User-Operated Terminals” (hereafter the “Hwang PCT Application”);
12. PCT Application No. WO 2009/024990 issued to Yogsesh Rathod on Feb. 26, 2009 for “System of Processing Portions of Video Stream Data” (hereafter the “Rathod PCT Application”).
The Macrae Published Patent Application discloses a device that requires a television signal over which a website is encoded and the concept of having a URL on a television screen and requiring a television signal as well as a video processor.
Specifically, the patent discloses:                “An interactive television system in which a URL representing an Internet web site is encoded in a television signal. The user may link to the web site by selecting an icon (95) displayed on the television screen.”        
Paragraph 22 states:                “Internet data, including Internet site addresses, is stored in Internet data memory 36. Internet data memory 36 is connected to a microprocessor 24 that is programmed to control the operation of the described equipment (Internet data memory 36 could be part of the RAM of microprocessor 24). An operating program for microprocessor 24 is stored in a read only memory (ROM) 26. A viewer input device 28, preferably in the form of a remote IR controller, is coupled to microprocessor 24 to provide commands from the viewer. A video processor 30 is coupled to microprocessor 24. When the viewer wishes to see Internet site addresses, microprocessor 24 recalls a portion of the Internet data from memory 36 and couples it to video processor 30, where the Internet site addresses are formatted for display. Preferably, the information stored in video processor 30 is a bit map of what is displayed on the screen of television receiver 20. Video processor 30 is connected to the other input of PIP chip 19. Preferably, viewer input device 28 controls microprocessor 24 by cursor movement on the screen of television receiver 20. To this end, microprocessor 24 and video processor 30 are coupled to a cursor position register 32. (Alternatively, the viewer can select items of information displayed on the screen by keying into viewer input device 28 code numbers assigned to these items.) Microprocessor 24 is also coupled to tuner 11 for channel change, to VCR 17 for play/record selection and start/stop, to switch 18 for selection of one of its inputs, and to PIP chip 19 for selection of the mode of PIP operation.”        
The Kaiser Patent discloses:                “Disclosed are a method, apparatus and system for providing action selections to an image referencing a product in a video production. According to the disclosure a method for providing action selections to an image referencing a product in a video production, said method includes (1) communicating a video production to a reproducing apparatus, said video production comprising a placement zone and a trigger zone at least partially coincident with said placement zone, wherein said trigger zone comprises a trigger resource identifier, and wherein said placement zone comprises an image referencing a product; (2) communicating to said reproducing apparatus an indication that an action selection interface associated with said product is available in response to a request corresponding to said trigger; and (3) communicating to said reproducing apparatus a characterization of said action selection interface, wherein said action selection interface comprises a selectable action. An apparatus according to the invention may include a server programmed to interact and provide action resources to. A system according to the disclosure may include the facility communicating the video production to the reproducing apparatus which sends a request to the server which provides action resources.”        
The Kaiser Patent discloses the broad concept of having being able to purchase or request further information from the touchscreen. The device as disclosed in this patent is for use in conjunction with touchscreen systems wherein an individual can touch a screen and request more information about the product or even purchase the product. On Column 7, beginning on Line 30 and continuing to Line 56, the patent states:
“The video production 1100 operates with the reproducing apparatus 1300 which described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 3. As noted above, the reproducing apparatus 1300 provides, at least, the functions of receiving and reproducing the video production and of a client in client-server communications. One of skill in the art will recognize numerous structures of programmed or programmable logic also capable of performing these and other functions in accordance with aspects of the invention. Exemplary structures could include, for example, a programmed general purpose computer with suitable video hardware, an integrated receiver/client appliance such as a set-top box, and special purpose computing machinery comprising an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Structures currently commercially available which provide at least the above-identified functions include, for example, a WEBTV Plus set-top box available from WebTV Networks, Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., U.S.A. It is contemplated, however, that the present invention will operate with other structures able to perform the above-identified functions (now known or later-developed). The remote control used with the WEBTV Plus set-top box is one example of a suitable form for the selection device 1700. Many others will be recognized by those of skill in the art including, for example, pointing devices used with personal computers, other selection systems such as those based on speech recognition, and touch-screen systems.”
The Segal Patent discloses a remote control having a touch pad to screen mapping. This patent discloses the broad concept of having a remote control device being able to map onto the display screen of a home entertainment device including interactive television. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “A remote control for controlling a home entertainment (HE) device such as an Interactive television having a display screen. The remote control includes a touch pad mapped to the display screen of the HE device as a function of the ratio of the areas of the touch pad and the display screen such that each location of the touch pad corresponds to a respective location of the display screen. The remote controller further includes a controller operable with the touch pad to enable a control function associated with a location of the display screen in response to the corresponding location of the touch pad being touched for controlling the HE device. The display screen may include on-screen keyboards, control panels and menus, an Internet page, an electronic program guide, and the like.”        
The Flather Published Patent Application discloses as follows:                “Described is a system and method whereby special layers, hot spots or image maps can be programmed in to media displayed through common Internet enabled media players so that users or viewers of the media can interact in a minimally obtrusive fashion with the media being shown to perform a host of tasks or actions. Such tasks or duties can take the form of but are not limited to initiating a purchase transaction, requesting more information to be sent via electronic mail and so on. In addition, special, Internet enabled (or static, non Internet/hyper linked pages) feature pages can be programmed to appear at preset time codes at any point within a media program. The purpose of such pages can be diverse including but not limited to the role of advertising or offering products for sale relating or not relating to the media program, promoting related or unrelated media programs or acting as a bridging point connecting together a series of media programs, much like an index of a book points to the chapters of the book. Such multimedia programs can be displayed on devices including but not limited to computer screens, personal organizers with wireless Internet connections or even a television screen. Users viewing media can interact with the program in viewing environments including but not limited to: Internet type connections, telecommunication (telephone, ISDN, ADSL), VSAT satellite, and other wire and wireless transmission including as well as video conferencing. The goal of the interaction is to provide a useful and minimally interruptive form of advertising, enacting the sale of a product or service or communicating information in a synchronized manner that may or may not relate to the media being played. The interaction can take the form but is not limited to sending a follow up email containing a special offer or information, or the interaction can even prompt the person(s) to initiate a purchase process for a good or service being promoted in conjunction with the media program. In other embodiments, viewers may interact with a given program by means of a plurality of options that include but are not limited to selecting an icon or banner or pressing a button on a remote control. The resulting action sequence will then be initiated, be it a request for information, a purchase activity and so on.”        
The '792 Zigmod Patent discloses a document data structure and method for integrating broadcast television with web pages. This invention discloses a method and apparatus for incorporating television broadcasts into web pages so that you can watch a television broadcast over your computer. Specifically, the abstract states:                “Described are a method and apparatus for incorporating broadcast television into Web pages. Broadcast television can be embedded into Web pages using, for example, a “tv:” attribute in conjunction with common HTML tags. Within the “tv:” attribute, a Web-page author can reference a TV station by channel number, network, or broadcast call letters. HTML documents are parsed to recover both the conventional tags and tags that include TV attributes. The resulting Web pages display the identified broadcast TV in a frame specified by the TV attribute. One embodiment supports the presentation of television in the background of an HTML document. In that embodiment, HTML tags corresponding to overlying HTML content are provided with an attribute that defines a level of transparency from zero to one-hundred percent. The transparency attribute allows content providers to overlay any type of HTML information over a broadcast television show without completely obscuring the underlying show. This aspect of the invention employs a z attribute that can be used to specify the relative position of broadcast television and overlying HTML content.”        
The Michaud Patent discloses:                “Apparatus and methods implementing a technique for creating an electronic artwork with a hot area. For a selected layer of the artwork, a non-transparent region is identified and an action is assigned to an area corresponding to the non-transparent region, the action defining a function that will be activated when the area is selected. The technique is advantageous in computer application programs that composite images from layers and for producing HTML (HyperText Markup Language) output that refers to a corresponding composited image, where the action is a URL and the area is defined by an image map.”        
Further the patent states:                “In general, in one aspect, the invention features apparatus and methods implementing a technique for creating an electronic artwork with a hot area. For a selected layer of the artwork, a non-transparent region is identified and an action is assigned to an area corresponding to the non-transparent region, the action defining a function that will be activated when the area is selected. The technique is advantageous in computer application programs that composite images from layers.        Advantageous implementations of the technique include one or more of the following features. The action is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator). The layers of the artwork are composited and the area and the action are converted to a target output format. The target output format is HTML (HyperText Markup Language). A boundary of the non-transparent region is calculated and a definition of the area is calculated from the boundary. The composited artwork is written out as an image file and an HTML file is written out; the HTML file contains an image map for the area and a URL for the action, and refers to the image file.        Among the advantages of the invention are one or more of the following. An image object associated with a hot spot can be edited, and the hot spot will be conformed automatically to the edited object. The content of a layer defining a hot spot can be dynamic, that is, computed from other data at the time the layers are composited, and the hot spot will be conformed automatically to the dynamic content. Multiple hot spots can easily be created in a composite artwork. The method of assigning hot spots can be added easily to any graphics application that supports layers. The regions in the artwork layer by which a hot spot is defined do not have to be visible in the final composited image. For example, a visibility attribute of a hot spot layer can be set to invisible, and the hot spot will still be generated.”        
The Gonzalez Published Patent Application states:                “A method of generating an object oriented interactive multimedia file, including encoding data comprising at least one of video, text, audio, music and/or graphics elements as a video packet stream, text packet stream, audio packet stream, music packet stream and/or graphics packet stream respectively, combining the packet streams into a single self-contained object, said object containing its own control information, placing a plurality of the objects in a data stream, and grouping one or more of the data streams in a single contiguous self-contained scene, the scene including format definition as the initial packet in a sequence of packets. An encoder for executing the method is provided together with a player or decoder for parsing and decoding the file, which can be wirelessly streamed to a portable computer device, such as a mobile phone or a PDA. The object controls provide rendering and interactive controls for objects allowing users to control dynamic media composition, such as dictating the shape and content of interleaved video objects, and control the objects received.”        
The Bove Patent discloses a method and apparatus for switching between multiple programs by interacting with a hyperlinked television broadcast. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form, using timing information to identify the frame with which the information is associated. The system comprising a video source and an encoder that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source, an annotation source, a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the encoder, and a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and the data packet stream generator. The encoder provides timestamp information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timestamp information. The multiplexer generates a digital broadcast signal that includes an augmented transport stream from the transport stream and the encoded data packets. A receiver displays the annotation information associated with the video signal in response to a viewer request on a frame by frame basis. A viewer can respond interactively to the material, including performing commercial transactions, by using a backchannel that is provided for interactive communication.”        
This patent discloses the hyperlinked information attached to frames of a television broadcast.
The Pack Patent discloses:                “The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing and obtaining product information through a broadcast signal. In this present invention, information identifying a product item, which is in a scene to be presented from a broadcast signal, is provided together with a broadcast signal, then a signal receiving terminal stores the product information for a new product item and displays the stored information to a viewer to select one product item while or after watching an interesting broadcast program, and transmits data identifying a selected product item to a predetermined web site and receives web site address for the selected item from that site. As a result, derailed information for the selected item is acquired from a server addressed by the received web site address.”        
In particular, the patent discloses:                “It is another object of the present invention to provide a product information delivering method and apparatus enabling a viewer to obtain shopping information independently when products are displayed in a scene.        It is another object of the present invention to provide a product information delivering method and apparatus enabling a viewer to obtain shopping information rapidly when products are displayed in a scene.        It is another object of the present invention to provide a product information delivering method and apparatus enabling a viewer to obtain shopping information more quickly when products are displayed in a scene and also allow simultaneous watching of a broadcast program while the information is displayed.        It is another object of the present invention to provide a product information delivering method and apparatus enabling a viewer to obtain shopping information for products displayed in a scene when a program is over without interruption of the program watching.        It is another object of the present invention to provide a product information delivery method and apparatus enabling a viewer to obtain shopping information for a desirable product which was displayed in program presentation without causing an interruption in the viewing of a television program.        
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, broadcast programs are provided together with product information including address information of a site to access derailed shopping information for desirable products which are displayed in the broadcast program presentation.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, broadcast programs are provided for a presentation terminal such as a television set (“TV”) or a personal computer (“PC”) together with product information, then a presentation terminal compares received product information with previous product information, stores the received product information if it is confirmed that the received product information is new based on the comparison, and displays the stored product information onto a screen or a monitor upon a viewers request.”
The '226 Zigmond Patent discloses a television with set top internet terminal with user interface wherein auxiliary content is received that is associated with current television programming. Specifically, the patent states:                “A viewer of television programming is alerted to the availability of content related to the programming (e.g. an associated Internet web page) by an icon momentarily displayed on the screen. Using a remote control, the viewer can select the icon. A control panel then appears, superimposed over the television image, and provides additional detail about the related content. By further operating the remote control, the viewer can select the associated content for viewing, or return to watching the television. Various other features and variations are disclosed.”        
This patent discloses a device which will pause the television screen and allow you to either go to the web page to purchase the product or to continue watching the television program.
The patent further discloses:                “Various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to logical addresses that are embedded within a broadcast television signal. The logical addresses may provide “links” to Internet, Web, or other local or remote content related or unrelated to a program being broadcast. A form of logical address (also referred to as a resource locator) commonly associated with Web content is a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”). A URL is a compact string representation of a location used to identify an abstract or physical resource on the Internet. Of course, alternative means of uniquely identifying content may be employed. For example, it is appreciated that keys (e.g., database indices), network addresses (e.g., IP addresses), and other identification mechanisms, alone or in combination, may be employed to uniquely identify a resource. Therefore, while the term URL refers to a specific type of content identifier used in connection with the Web, the terms logical address and/or resource locator are used herein to refer to content/resource identification mechanisms generally.        Links to Internet/Web content provide an easy and powerful way to bring the richness and interactive nature of the Internet to TV. Such links may be used by program producers, program sponsors, networks, local affiliates, and other content providers to link TV viewers to web content specifically designed to complement what the viewers are watching on TV. Various embodiments of the present invention provide and transmit logical addresses that identify content (e.g., Internet content) within a video signal. For example, content providers can transmit URLs to viewers by inserting URL data, in a predetermined syntax, within line 21 of the vertical blanking interval of an analog television signal. Other known data embedding techniques can also be used.        According to one aspect of the present invention, on receipt of a logical address in a TV signal, an icon or some other visual indication is presented to the viewer to notify the viewer of the availability of Internet content. The viewer can then select the visual indication to view the content concurrently with the TV broadcast or save the logical address for later viewing.        Logical addresses embedded in video may refer to content stored on a CD-ROM or other mass storage device, an Intranet server, or other resource. Additionally, certain aspects of the invention described herein are equally applicable to other TV viewing devices, such as personal computers equipped with TV tuners, and the like. Moreover, while various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to an NTSC broadcast video signal, other broadcast TV systems are equivalent for the purpose of the present invention, such as Phase Alternate Lines (PAL), Sequential Couleur Avec Memoire (SECAM), and the proposed High Definition Television (HDTV) standard. Finally, it is appreciated that a variety of other transport mechanisms can be employed, including digital satellite, digital TV, and cable TV.”        
The Hwang PCT Application was published on May 25, 2001 and discloses a system and method for implementing on-site electronic purchasing using user-operated terminals. Specifically, the patent application discloses:                “A system that provides interactive multimedia based electronic purchasing services to a group of concurrent customers in a commercial site via user operated wired and wireless transaction terminals, i.e., commercial Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). The disclosed system is comprised of a multiple-computer-based server array and a number of multi-link commercial PDAs. The invention further employs a number of unique methods for implementing interactive advertising-based, interactive payment-based, as well as customized content-based electronic purchasing services. Moreover, the invention can accommodate a plurality of concurrent customers ranging from a few to thousands, using multi-link-based workgroup server arrays that can deliver mission-critical highly-available and scaleable on-demand interactive multimedia-based electronic purchasing services in a commercial site.”        
This patent application discloses a device by which purchasers can wirelessly pay for their transactions either physically on-site at the point of sale or by paying through e-commerce.
The Rathod PCT Application discloses a system of processing portions of video stream data. Specifically, the patent discloses:                “The present invention relates to system and method of processing including searching, matching, automatic identification, selection and actions on one or more image portion(s) of image frame(s) of digitized video data and video stream data for the purpose of enabling object handling including searching, matching, automatic identification, selection(s), associate action(s), remote action(s) and two or multi way communication and collaboration; and based on that exemplary Universal Live Commerce services, platform and networks which provides advance visual and live interactive e-commerce including (marketing, bids, auctions and e-tailing), visual and live search & match making, visual and live advertising and showcasing, visual and live security system, visual and live learning and training system, visual and live presentation system, visual automation, visual and live entertainment & games, visual and live information access, extended visual and live communication utility, visual and live data entry and processing facilitates silent or direct or zero stock commerce.”        
Marketing, promotion and sales on multimedia devices has become a subject of increased interest and importance as multimedia devices become ubiquitous and the public becomes more adept and accustomed to using such devices. The potential of these devices is far reaching, and business is eager to explore ways to capitalize on the technology. To this end, a variety of methods have been explored and developed as possible ways to turn the technology into a viable marketplace. The most common ones described are based on traditional models of presenting merchandise in a static, and singular and/or limited contextual image and text for purchasers utilizing an on-line purchasing means.
None of the aforementioned prior art describes an on-line purchasing system which is more efficient than those disclosed.